Hisham Matar

Khaled is a young man from a loving and close family in Benghazi. He leaves to go to Edinburgh to study where he and his friend Mustafa are shot during a protest at the Libyan embassy in London. They both slowly recover but are not unofficially marked as enemies of the Libyan government under Qaddafi.

Khaled also meets a poet who greatly influenced his life as a young man. Hosam is also in exile in London. The three men become very close friends. This is a story about friendship and love of family as Khaled is so worried about his parents that he delays telling them about his wounds.

The story is so well written, interesting in that I learned a lot about Libya and about the fear and loneliness of being away from the country where one grew up.

One great passage so relevant today: "...who managed to remain independent, part of that silent army that exists in evry country, made up on individuals who had come to the conclusion that they live among unreasonable compatriots and therefore must, live grownups in a playground endure the chaos until the bell rings, resigned to the fact that this may come long after they are gone. (page 122)

I would have given this 5 stars, but I was left a big underwhelmed with the conclusion.… (more)

Khaled is a young boy growing up in a small , close knit family in Benghazi, Libya. Eventually Khaled moves to the U.K. to attend the University of Edinburgh . He quickly realizes that even there, he must be careful , as there are " wires" or " writers", fellow students who report back to the Libyan government. He becomes good friends with Mustafa, who convinces him to attend a protest against the Qaddafi regime at the Libyan Embassy in London. There, both Khaled and Mustafa are badly injured, and come to the attention of the Libyan government. Thus, Khaled finds himself hiding in London, unable to return to his university or his country of origin. He dares not speak of this to his parents and sister in Libya, either by phone or by letter as it is likely that the Libyan government has tapped his phone and opens letters.

Later, a chance encounter leads Khaled to meet a Libyan author, Hosam Zowa. Hosam wrote a controversial story that was broadcast in Libya, and it influenced Khaled's early life. Khaled, Hosam and Mustafa form close friendships, which are eventually strained by Mustafa's desire to return to Libya to fight in the Arab Spring.

I learned a lot about Libya and the conflicts there. A slow , reflective look at the bonds of friendship, family and living in exile.

Recommended.… (more)